What the committee chairman described as a “food fight” erupted after midnight as Republican Congressman Blake Farenthold attempted to jimmy legislation to block federal money for Houston Metro to build or extend the University and Uptown lines.

But Farenthold’s courtesy introduction of the restriction for a veteran colleague, Houston’s John Culberson and a longtime Metro critic, ignited a late night flare up that engulfed the 59-member House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

More than anything, the wrangling in the wee hours last week spotlighted the countless little-noticed struggles that take place across Capitol Hill as lawmakers try to steer taxpayers’ dollars toward projects they favor – and away from projects they oppose.

In this case, the stakes were potentially the future of Houston’s light rail system and the unceremonious initiation of Farenthold, a freshman lawmaker with barely 13 months experience on Capitol Hill.

Lawmakers, incited by the proposal from the Corpus Christi congressman, argued over the Republican bid to save taxpayers’ money and uphold the will of Houston voters by blocking the funding — or Democrats’ claim that Congress was attempting to “micromanage” potential federal dollars for a distant and unfamiliar transit system.

Farenthold initially tried to block all federal funds for Houston Metro expansion before narrowly targeting his amendment to only block federal support for the two planned lines within the $260 billion surface transportation legislation.

“Basically this amendment forces Metro to follow the wishes of the Houstonians who are overwhelmingly opposed to light rail on Richmond Avenue,” Farenthold told the committee. “This is an extension beyond what the voters of Houston approved.”

Metro chairman Gilbert Garcia said he had been “surprised that a congressman representing the citizens of Corpus Christi would get involved in our local matter.”

But if Farenthold was hoping to enact the wishes of Culberson, Florida Democrat Corrine Brown stepped forward to raise the concerns of Houston’s Sheila Jackson Lee, whose congressional district would be served by part of the proposed route. Brown said she took a call from fellow Democrat Jackson Lee, who voiced outrage that Republicans were attempting to stymie potential expansion of a Metro system that serves many low income Houstonians.

Brown derided Republicans’ attempted intervention, saying “You all ought to be on the city council or the transit (committee). We’re Congress.”

Rep. John Mica, R-Florida, chairman of the Republican-led panel, threw up his hands. “I’m the referee in this food fight,” said the lawmaker who has visited Houston Metro. “We’ve spent the whole day and now into this morning with a lot of these local fights.”

Farenthold’s revised amendment to limit federal funds for two lines then failed on a roll call vote of 15 to 38, with 23 Republicans joining 15 Democrats to kill the proposal.

“In this time of economic challenge, no member of Congress should be standing in the way of taxpayers’ money coming back to their community in a fiscally responsible way,” said Jackson Lee, a House member since 1995.

Culberson said afterward that his amendment was merely designed to “help Metro keep their promise not to build” additional light rail lines that had not been approved by Houston-area voters.

But Houston Democratic Rep. Gene Green, dean of the Houston-area congressional delegation, said Wednesday that Farenthold’s attempted intervention in Houston Metro funding breached a long-standing bipartisan understanding within the Texas congressional delegation that House members do not intervene in legislation directly affecting another lawmaker’s district.

Green, elected to Congress in 1992, said he reiterated the legislative courtesy with his freshman colleague in a conversation Wednesday morning.

“It has been a learning experience for a member who has not served in a legislature before,” said Green, a career lawmaker in Austin and Washington. “I always say to new members, ‘If you’re going to change the world, don’t get elected to a body that has 435 people because none of us is king.’”

Farenthold told the Houston Chronicle he introduced the proposal solely at the request of Culberson because the planned light rail routes fell entirely within Culberson’s district.

“I regret some representatives are troubled that they were not adequately consulted,” Farenthold said. “I have reached out to those members and plan on working with them on any concerns they may have.”